To live the life of a fucking writer. Honestly, I hardly get much writing done these days, but now that I have a creative group to keep me on track and hold me accountable for the work I don’t finish, I’ve been a lot more focused. It’s difficult staying on track when your main job isn’t writing. I spent four years being told to major in something I love, so I did. But it hasn’t paid off much. The most writing I’ve done since graduation is fluffy sentences about a few dresses for an apparel shop’s website. Keep in mind, I am not a fluffy writer. I am, and probably always will be, a little goth girl at heart. Wildly creative, but extremely dark. So imagine this dark minded little girl who writes poems about demons and depression, but instead was forced to write about dresses and trendy tees for a living. What a joke. But as writers we adapt. We absorb. And we experience. We use every little experience, whether it be absolute bullshit or the best day ever, as inspiration for our work. Of course, I’m sure every artist does, but we literally write every tiny thing down, in one shape or another. We write poems talking shit about the people we hate, we write love stories about our romances, and we write fantasies about our dreams.
Currently, I write about Emily. The character that’s been living in my head since my sophomore year of college. As a writer, we don’t just have ideas. We literally have several dozens of characters in our heads speaking to us all at once, begging to be written. We write about the loudest one. That would be my Emily. She has a story, and if I don’t tell it, she won’t let me sleep peacefully. Hence my current project and focus, With Love, Emily.
I’m working on this project with my fellow creatives as they help me break her poems down into a mini series that we can all use to develop our various forms of self expression. I mean after all, that’s what art is all about. Collaboration, self expression, and supporting our fellow artists.
It hasn’t been easy. We all have our own lives to entertain. Mine includes a full time job working with kiddos on the Autism spectrum that love to use me as a life size punching bag and chew toy. Kidding! Well, not really, but I say it with love and affection. It’s hard not to get attached to the kids we work with. I also balance my very annoying, super loving, absolutely irritating relationship with my Gemini. Yeah I can’t stand that guy. But I love him. And then there’s the bills. So many fucking bills. So when do I find the time to write? Never. Just kidding, guys. I find the time to write in between clients, after clients, and on the weekends when I’m not spending time with my lover, friends, and family. Which means about 1-2 hours a week? If I’m lucky.
What I’m saying is don’t lose hope in your art, whatever it may be. You will find the time. Even if it’s 5 minutes during your lunch break, don’t lose sight of what you love. Keep pushing to be the best you can be, and surround yourself with supportive people that encourage you to finish your art. That’s all for now, folks!
See you in the next act!
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